Natural Heritage Resources of Virginia: Rare Animals

Roble, S.

The first section included in this report is the Rare Animal List. This list contains information on the legal and biological status of Virginia’s rarest known native animals, including vertebrates (n = 189), and insects and selected other invertebrate groups (n = 616). Certain marine species that are listed as federally endangered or threatened are only included in the appendices. Only those species that use discrete habitat patches or can directly benefit from habitat protection are included in the main taxonomic lists. The second section is the Animal Watchlist. This list contains information on the conservation and legal status of 371 additional taxa (74 vertebrates, 297 invertebrates) that are decidedly uncommon in Virginia but not scarce enough to merit inclusion on the Rare Animal List. Species on this list are monitored to determine general population trends. Some species included on the Animal Watchlist were formerly on the Rare Animal List but have been determined to be more common than previously believed. Other species on the Watchlist are declining and may warrant placement on the Rare Animal List in the future if their populations continue to decline. The third section included in this report is the Animal Review List (Taxa of Uncertain Status). Many of these species lack numerical ranks, indicating that they are poorly known from a distributional and/or taxonomic standpoint. Although some of these species may prove to be conservation targets, more field and museum data are needed to assess their degree of rarity in Virginia and/or taxonomic status. There are 191 species (3 vertebrates, 188 invertebrates) in this category.

Natural Heritage Resources of Virginia: Rare Animals

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